I was driving along at about 60-70mph in my VRS and changed up from 5th to 6th. Then there was a sudden jerk and loss of power. I thought i had a blow out, but i have checked all my tyres and they are fine. When i got home i drove it in first and there is a very jerky power delivery, even when going through the lower rev range very slowly.

Has anyone else experienced this?:confused:

Some thoughts on this would be appreciated...Im very unhappy with my VRS at the moment , especially as it has been in the garage twice in the last 3 weeks for work! :(

is the clutch slipping ?

from your description of the fault , it doesn't sound like a clutch fault , what has it been in the garage for recently ?

im not sure in all honesty, im not that mechanically clued up. What should i be looking/hearing/feeling for?

It has been in for the cambelt and waterpump to be done. That was about 3 weeks ago, today i had the coolant bottle changed as the pipe in from the engine had snapped off... just happened to be on the way back form the dealer, 'coincidence apparently'.

I havent checked under the bonnet yet as there is a monsoon here in Cambridge.

sounds like it may have been slipping into limp mode?

Once it was in 6th, could you floor it and the revs increased without the speed climbing? That's the sign of a slipping clutch.

I thought the normal way to check for a worn clutch is to try and pull away gently with the handbrake on - if the clutch is worn then the clutch should give up before the rear brakes.

I have just driven it up the road. I dont think its the clutch.... on start up there was a noticeably throatier noise... and the power is so lumpy, i dont think i could climb the gears. Is this likely to be my turbo?

just stick it in 6th and put your foot down... if the revs rise but you go nowhere your clutch is smoked.

Has a Boost/intercooler hose partially blown off ??

Dean

If 'jerk' could be swapped for 'bang' from the OP's symptoms, then I'd be inclined to agree - especially after the story about the coolant pipe...

it sounds like and boost pipe has poped off. the noise you herd thinking it was a blow out it more then likely the pipe poping off.

if you take out the left foglight souround and then put your hand in and feel for the pipe from the intercooler, i bet its poped.

From what you describe, I also think it would be worth checking the intercooler / boost pipes. The garage would have had the top ones off when doing the cambelt, and the lugs on the pipes where they connect may have been weakened with removal (only soft alloy i think), making it easier for the pipe to pop off under boost. Doesn't sound clutch related to me...

you could swap a 'jerk' for a 'bang', and seeing as the turbo still seems to be whiring this may be the problem... i will have a look. Whats needed to fix it if this turns out to be the diagnosis?

There is an L-shaped pipe coming out the top of the intercooler just behind the driver's side headlight. This is the one that usually blows off due to worn lugs. I believe some owners have also had problems with the clips coming off.

The pipe at the bottom of the intercooler is also known to blow off. The best thing to do is to check all the pipe-work.

Once you've found the pipe at fault (if it turns out to be a pipe that is...), inspect the lugs to see if they've rounded down or have broken off. You may need to buy a new pipe, as fixing the old one back in place may mean that it will blow off again soon. Happened to me recently...

Here's the part no. for the top L-shaped hose behind the headlight. You'll need to quote this to skoda parts for a replacement:

6Q0145834D - hose

6Q0145769A - clip

Other owners have also placed a number of cable ties around the area of the join to hold it in place. Do a search on this topic for more info, as it's quite a common problem. Let us know how you get on...

Thanks to everyone for your help and suggestions, ill let you know the outcome.

You'd notice if a pipe has poped off. It'd smoke like gaza strip, so doubt its that